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Pam Jenoff Biography, Books, and Similar Authors

Author Biography  | Interview  | Books by this Author

Pam Jenoff
Photo: Dominic Episcopo

Pam Jenoff

Pam Jenoff Biography

Pam Jenoff is the author of The Kommandant's Girl (a Quill Award finalist, a Book Sense pick, and a finalist for the ALA Sophie Brody Award), The Diplomat's Wife, Almost Home, and Hidden Things. She attended George Washington Univer­sity, Cambridge University in England, where she received a master's in history, and the University of Pennsylvania Law School. A former Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Army and State Department Officer, she lives in Philadelphia where she works as an attorney.

Pam Jenoff's website

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Interview

Pam Jenoff discusses The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach set in New Jersey during World War II

What was the inspiration behind The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach ?

Some twenty years ago, I conceived of a story in which a girl who is an only child becomes close to a family with four sons—kind of a reverse Little Women. I began working on the manuscript but life and other projects intervened. A few years ago, when I returned to the story, I realized that it needed to be set against the backdrop of World War II and that the families should be from different religious and ethnic backgrounds. This provided not only fertile ground for the love story itself, but for exploring many of the cultural aspects of the era.

What kind of research did you do for this book? What are the challenges of writing historical novels?

One thing that was so fun about this book is that the research was more personal. My dad's side of the family is from Atlantic City and owned small hotels and restaurants there in the 1930s and 40s; I summered there as a girl and it is very much in my blood. It was so much fun to drive around the shore and visualize what it would have looked like. I also had a grand time in the archives of the Atlantic City Library, looking at old photos and postcards and news clippings to learn...

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Books by this Author

Books by Pam Jenoff at BookBrowse
Last Twilight in Paris jacket The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach jacket The Things We Cherished jacket
Membership Advantages
  • Reviews
  • "Beyond the Book" articles
  • Free books to read and review (US only)
  • Find books by time period, setting & theme
  • Read-alike suggestions by book and author
  • Book club discussions
  • and much more!
  • Just $45 for 12 months or $15 for 3 months.
  • More about membership!

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